From a press release:

SUPERBIKE AND SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Philosophy & Mission

Following the Press Conference held on the 21st May, chaired by the FIM President Mr Francesco Zerbi, FGSPORT confirms that they are in total agreement with the FIM. Furthermore FGSPORT wish to reaffirm their commitment thereby ensuring that the philosophy and mission of the Superbike and Supersport World Championships remain both now and in the future based on the basic principles stated by President Zerbi in Geneva both now and in the future.

In summary:

–WORLD SUPERBIKE represents the competitive tradition of the products on sale and therefore, the tool to promote specific models through racing which, although technologically sophisticated, maintain a direct link with the excellence of sports production;

–MOTOGP represents the peak of technology, encouraging development and promotion of the manufacturer’s image through the exclusive use of prototype bikes.

This distinction has very important implications:

1) World Superbike and MOTOGP are, and will continue to be, two distinct championships with their own particular personalities, not merely in terms of what happens on the track but also in terms of what happens with the event viewed in its entirety.

2) As agreed with the FIM and the manufacturers, motorcycles participating in the Superbike World Championship are, and will continue to be, based on mass-produced models. This will also enable the coordination of the Technical Rules with those applied to the most important National Championships in order for those to rely on the availability of a large number of motorcycles and therefore, successfully expand motorcycle sport and the development of new young talents.

3) The World Supersport Championship will continue to remain an exclusive property of FGSPORT. Should new categories be introduced into other World Championships in future, substituting existing classes, the machines competing would nevertheless be prototypes not derived from the production machines.


The Superbike World Championship’s current achievements can be categorized as follows:
– 12 Rounds on the 4 Continents
– 2 Billion Worldwide Television Viewers
– 88 Television Networks covering 173 Countries
– 1,908 Broadcast hours during 2002 with a Television Media Value of US$ 593 Million
– 1,100,000 Race Spectators during 2002
– 25 Million Internet page views